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Russia Population 2018

143,957,229

There are no official figures for the population of Russia in 2016, but the 2010 census, the results of which were released in late 2011 and early 2012, reports that the official population of Russia was 142.9 million. The most current estimate for 2018 reports that the population is around 143.96 million.

Population Growth Rates in Russia

Russia is one of the few countries with a negative growth rate, and its 2018 population is estimated at 143.96 million, a decline from an estimated population of 146.3 million in 2015. It's currently the 9th most populous country on earth, despite being the largest by area.

Like most countries, Russia undertakes a census every decade or so. There is no fixed schedule, though, and until 2009 it was not certain that the 2010 census would even take place. It was only a late intervention from the Russian Government,) allocating 10 billion roubles, that prevented it from being pushed back to 2013.

The full Russian census results were released in sections throughout 2011 and 2012; these can be viewed at the official Russian Census website (in Russian language).

The estimated 2014 population of Russia, which was 142.5 million, was pretty interesting, as Russia released its latest batch of data, as reported by Forbes. This information shows that Russia's run of increasing births and decreasing deaths may be ending. From January to March 2013, the number of births shrank by about 4,000, while the number of deaths increased the same amount. This means the natural loss of population was about 20% larger than in the previous year.

Russia's natural change in population over the past twenty-five years has been fairly unstable, decreasing in the early 90s, leveling out and then climbing beginning in 2005 before leveling out again.

Russian Demographics

As you can see from the graphic, almost half of all Russians live in just two areas: the Central and Volga federal districts. The further east you go --to Siberia and beyond -- the less dense the population is.

The graphic also demonstrates that Russia is a fairly ethnically diverse country. Although almost 81% of Russian citizens identify themselves as ethnic Russians, there are also other large ethnic groups. 3.9% of Russians are Tartars, 1.4% Ukrainians, 1.2% Bashkirs, 1.1% Chuvashs and 1.0% Chechens. 3.9% of the population did not declare any ethnic origin.

Largest Russian Cities

Moscow is the largest city in Russia with a population of 12.1 million people, which also makes it the 11th largest city in the world. Saint Petersburg is the second largest Russian city, with 5.1 million people, making it the 50th largest city in the world.

Russia is mostly an urban country; according to the census results, 74% of Russians live in urban areas -- either towns or cities. Ten other Russian cities have a population of more than a million people. You can see the full list below.

Rank

City Name

Population

1

Moscow

11,514,330

2

Saint Petersburg

4,848,742

3

Novosibirsk

1,473,737

4

Yekaterinburg

1,350,136

5

Nizhny Novgorod

1,250,615

6

Samara

1,164,896

7

Omsk

1,153,971

8

Kazan

1,143,546

9

Chelyabinsk

1,130,273

10

Rostov-on-Don

1,089,851

11

Ufa

1,062,300

12

Volgograd

1,021,244

Interestingly, the population of Russia’s cities has increased over the past ten years, reflecting the increasing urbanization of Russia as people move from the countryside to cities in search of better employment.

Russian Population Decline

The Russian population has been steadily declining for almost two decades now. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the population of Russia was recorded at 148,538,000.

Over the next decade, the population decreased at a fairly steady rate of a half percent per year. The causes for this were twofold. Firstly the number of people dying increased due to a fall in living standards, and among men who were hit hardest, alcoholism. The average life expectancy for women held fairly steady at 75 years, but Russian male life expectancy dropped dramatically to 63 years.

Combined with this, birth rates fell sharply as well. From around 17 per 1,000 persons in the mid 1980s, the rate fell to below 10 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s – well below the rate needed to sustain a population. Economic uncertainty was a major factor in this, persuading people against having children.

Population growth and demographics have long been a problem for Russia, as a decade ago the nation was losing 1 million people a year, and many doubt Vladimir Putin's plans will work. Time will tell if Russia is able to overcome its issues and see greater growth, as otherwise it will be prone to collapsing infrastructure with its massive land area and untapped natural resources.

Russia Population Growth

After 15 years of declining growth, Russia finally recorded population growth for the first time again in 2009, and in 2013, Russia had a total fertility rate of 1.7 children per woman, which is the highest in Eastern Europe.

Contrary to popular opinion in the West, Russia's population is actually growing, not shrinking, although its growth is very, very small. While the population was shrinking in the 1990s and early 2000s, at the moment it is slowly growing. Despite this, it's likely that the population will shrink again between now and the next ten or twenty years, as the country's very small growth is completely driven by immigration, not natural growth.

While projections into the future of Russia are very difficult, it's estimated that Russia will fall from the 9th most populous country to 17th by 2050. Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin has announced that he plans to boost Russia's dwindling population by encouraging immigration and higher birth rates, but estimates show that Russia's population will drop from 2014's 142 million to only 128 million by 2050.

Data Sources

Total population: Estimated to be consistent with the 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989, 2002 and 2010 censuses, with offical population estimates through 2016, and with estimates of the subsequent trends in fertility, mortality and international migration.